Bugged out by classroom critters

Dante Glenn Thomas

SOMEONE TOLD me the other day that the rich people in New York have devised new ways to eliminate that city's most numerous inhabitants: the roach population.

Of course, New York City is the roach capital of the world. Probably even the Empire State buidling has roaches. New Yorkers had to invent something to deal with the situation.

I wish someone would bring this invention to Baltimore, though, because we have a real problem with these pests at my school.

Our roaches attack from all directions. They come out of desks, from under tables and the insides of books. They're so bold they'll even chase you around the room if you try to step on them. I'm not kidding. It's hard living with these critters.

When students spot one, they go crazy, yelling and jumping around like they never saw an insect before. Of course they have, who hasn't? But next thing you know the teachers start yelling at the kids. What a mess.

I think we students ought to get together and protest, along with our parents and teachers. Why should we have to put up these beasts?

Can you imagine trying to learn anything with these creatures running around?

There are a lot of things that could be done to fix this problem. Why not have everybody take part of the last period of each day to pick up the candy rappers, trash and papers that accumulate during the day? That would help keep the school cleaner and also give everybody a chance to be part of solving a common problem.

And where are our janitors? Somebody is not doing their job if the situation is this bad.

Also, the school could spray more often. Once a year just isn't enough. Four times a year would be much better.

As a last resort, maybe the school should take the money we use for trips and parties and spend it on cleaning up our insect problem. It's kind of discouraging to go away some place nice and then come back and be greeted by the same old bugs.

Sometimes I wonder why roaches were created. Was it for fun or for sport? Whatever the reason, they are not welcome in my school.

And if there's a machine that can kill whole buildings full of roaches at once, like in New York, we need one at at my school right away.

Two would be even better.

Dante Glenn Thomas is an 8th grader at the Barclay School in Baltimore